Optional Rules - Black Hack Resources

Duncehack Edition

So who are you?

Just some tosser with an over inflated sense of self importance.

Send verbal abuse via Minds.com

What is the Duncehack?

It emerged from a place of frustration. There's quite a number of areas where 5e could be improved but... it's not going to happen for various reasons.

The Duncehack is my attempt to fix these problems I have. Plan is to go through the whole game - all of it - and homebrew it into the game I think is should have been.

Feel free to disagree with me, but ultimately I think there's no harm in putting my thoughts out there, at the very least if even one DM decides to adopt these rules, then my job is done.

No DM Guild? No OGL Release?

I chafe under binding contracts and both of these are exactly that.

The DM Guild gives you more room to mess with established rules, but basically demands that all be under the service of flagship settings.

The SRD on the other hand gives more room for interesting settings but clamps down extremely hard on what established rules you're allowed to use. Their biggest contention is that they don't want someone to sell a sourcebook that removes the need for core books. Translation: they don't want Pathfinder to happen all over again.

More to the point, both assume money will change hands. I don't want money, I just want Wizards to fix their game.

Groundrules

Groundrules for the Duncehack are as follows:

• No Nerfs: the goal is to bring weaker archetypes on the level of the stronger ones.

• Remove Traps: incentives built into classes and archetypes should provide an active payoff, rather than be the suboptimal choice.

• Frontload Agency, Backend Power: Generally speaking, people like having more options to do things, rather than more raw power. As a design rule: things that feel like core class features, or are defining class mechanics, should happen in the first ten levels, sheer numeric increases in power should come after that.

No money changed hands here

This is a passion project. I want to keep it that way.

I also want to avoid legal issues for self-evident reasons.

No UA?

Too much changes between UA and official release.

The fewer corrections I have the do between UA changes, the better.

Obligatory Natural Crit Plug

http://www.naturalcrit.com/

Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.

Obligatory /tg/ Plug

The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.

No Images?

Needed to get it under 8mb so I could upload it literally anywhere.

So what is this?

So The Black Hack (link goes to first edition, the second edition is easy enough to find as well), is an OSR I genuinely loved. Has a die based resource system that works with 5e.

So, I'm implementing that style of system here.

Overview

So the brief overview is this:

At the end of each turn, when you use a consumable item (ammunition, potions, etc.), you roll a resource die for that consumable. On a 1 or a 2, you downgrade the die to the next die type down. Once you downgrade a d4, then you run out of the resource. You only roll for each item once (i.e. if you have multiple attacks with a bow, you only roll for your arrows once).

Goes like this:

d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4 > One last use > Empty

Why not just count the uses left?

Not every table wants that level of bookkeeping, but they do want some kind of resource management. This provides a means of doing that.

How to implement this system

So, whenever your character restocks on their resources (i.e. spending gold on them, or making them with tool proficiencies), you get a d20 in said resources.

Use Resource Dice for...

• Torches
• Oil
• Acid Vials
• Alchemist's Fire
• Poisons
• Ammunition
• Darts
• Potions
• Medicine Kits
• Improvised Weapons, Armour and Shields (as durability)
• Rations
• Caltrops
• Ball Bearings
• Chalk

DON'T Use Resource Dice for...

• Melee weapons (no smith would be in business if their weapons were that flimsy).
• Thrown weapons other than darts (just assume them retrieved at the end of combat if possible)
• Sling ammunition (as you can just make do with rocks in a pinch)
• Tools, Spyglasses, Pitons, etc.

What if I don't want to be so generous?

Instead each purchase only increases the die type by one step.

Skip the 'one last use' step when it comes to purchasing unless the item might warrant it (e.g. healing potions).

e.g. one purchase of arrows gets you to d4, while one purchase of healing potions only gets you the one and a second purchase gets to d4.

Retrieving Uses

A character can make a check to retrieve uses of an item given some time (which can be done as part of a long rest), and a relevant tool proficiency.

The DC for the check is 8 + Intended die type maximum. Retrieving uses in this way cannot raise the die type to d20.

e.g. to move from a d6 to a d8, the DC of the check is 16.

If the characters are looking to spend all their time scrounging for resources to the detriment of play, then make each resource refresh only once/long rest.

What if a character exceeds the DC?

Up to you honestly, if you want to be harsh, you may only permit one die type raise per successful check. If you want to be more generous, you can raise the die type to whatever matches the DC.

Retrievals as a resource

What you can instead of (or in addition to) the roll above is give a number of 'Retrievals' based on a character's Strength Modifier (minimum of once) - this represents the character just carrying more of the things they need.

When a character restocks, they spend the use and set the die of a given resource to d20 (or, if you wish to be harsh, up one die type).

Retrieval points spent restore during downtime, when the character has the opportunity to restock.

This system doesn't require an action as it's ultimately an act of narrative fiat.

What if I want crafting mechanics?

You can have a second Crafting point pool based on the character's Intelligence Modifier (minimum of once), that can be used in exactly the same way as above but only for resources the character can justify with a tool profiency (e.g. carpenter's tools for arrows, leatherworker's tools for improvised armour, etc).

What's to stop a character from gaming this system to save on gold?

If you're worried about characters gaming the system, then you can decree that each point spent is immediately deducted from their character's gold (and if they don't have the gold, then in that can be written off as a debt they have to pay - possibly with interest).

So if a character immediately restocks on their health potions, that's 50g (or more on the harsher takes on this system) that they have to pay for it.

This only applies to Retrieval points, Crafting points represent the character making things on their own skill. The latter can be limited if by the environment (it's hard to find herbs for healing potions in a desert).

Improvised Gear

Well, I've got rules for them too.

Improvised Weapons

DC is die maximum of the weapon + die maximum of the durability.

So a DC 5 grants a 1d4 mud brick that crumbles on the first hit, while a DC 8 gives a sturdier brick that can take a couple of hits. The DC increases for +2 DC for each property added to the weapon, the exception being the Heavy and Two Handed properties which is mandatory on weapons where the base die type is d10 or d12. 'Special' properties cannot be added this way.

If the DC can be split multiple ways (do you want a d8 weapon with d6 durability or a d6 weapon with d8 durability, or a d6 weapon with d6 durability with the light property?) then its up to the player which way it splits.

Improvised weapons can only be of a damage die type of d4, d6, d8, d10 or d12. When a character lands a critical hit with an improvised weapon, they may choose to have the weapon not roll for durability instead of dealing double damage.

Properties

Damage Die	Properties Available
d4	May add Light, Finesse, Thrown (20/60), Reach, Versatile (d6), Reach.
d6	May add Versatile (d8) OR light (but not both), Finesse, Thrown (10/30), Reach.
d8	May add Versatile (d10) OR Finesse (but not both), Reach.
d10	Heavy/Two Handed (doesn't raise the DC). May add Reach.
d12	Heavy/Two Handed (doesn't raise the DC)

d4 to d6/versatile (d8) require simple weapon proficiency to gain proficiency bonus. d8 to d12 require martial weapon proficiency to gain proficiency bonus.

How is the DC handled here?

So the way I worded all this kind of implies that the DM simply hands over something when the check is undertaken, with only the quality of the weapon in question variable on the DC.

However, if you're planning to be quite harsh on it, you can have your players declare the intended weapon they're after before the roll and have the result turn out binary: either they meet the DC and get it, or they roll too low and are empty handed.

What about abuse potential?

If abuse is likely to be an issue, use the above Retrieval Points system to weed that out (costing them a point to pull an improvised weapon, instead of, or in addition to, the DC checks listed here), limiting what a player can pull over the course of play.

During Combat

Sometimes a character just needs a weapon right now. The character can spend a bonus action to make a perception test to find something that can suit the task. Due to the added stress of combat however, the DC in increased.

DC becomes 8 + die maximum of the weapon + die maximum of the durability.

The check can only be made once per combat.

Ammunition can be scavenged the same way with a DC of 8 + twice the die maximum of the resource die sought.

Improvised Armour

DC is the AC of the armour + die maximum of the durability.

e.g. studded leather equivalent with a durability of d6 would have a DC of 18. This also includes shields, so a DC of 14 gives a reasonably sturdy shield that'll last a few hits.

Light Armour has a maximum AC of 13, Medium has a maximum AC of 15, and heavy has a maximum AC of 18.

During Combat

A character can make an attempt to find an improvised shield their bonus action. The DC becomes 8 + the shield's AC (2) + the maximum durability of the shield.

The check can only be made once per combat.